The Philosophy of Freedom

The Philosophy of Freedom is the fundamental philosophical work of philosopher, Goethe scholar and esotericist Rudolf Steiner (1861–1925).^[1] It addresses the question of whether and in what sense human beings are free. Originally published in 1894 in German as Die Philosophie der Freiheit,^[2]^[3] with a second edition published in 1918, the work has appeared under a number of English titles, including The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity (the title Steiner proposed for the English-language translation^[4]), The Philosophy of Freedom, and Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path.

Part One of The Philosophy of Freedom examines the basis of freedom in human thinking, gives an account of the relationship between knowledge and perception, and explores the role and reliability of thinking in the formation of knowledge. In Part Two Steiner analyzes the conditions necessary for human beings to be free, and develops a moral philosophy that he labels "ethical individualism".^[5] The book's subtitle, Some results of introspective observation following the methods of natural science,^[6] indicates the philosophical approach Steiner intends to take. Steiner hoped that the book "would gain him a professorship", but the book "did not receive the attention he had hoped for."^[1] In fact, the book was reasonably favourably received in English, with reviews in Mind, the leading journal of philosophy in England, the Philosophical Review, and the Monist,^[7] and in German publications.^[8]

^ ^a ^b Leijenhorst, Cees (2006). "Steiner, Rudolf, * 25.2.1861 Kraljevec (Croatia), † 30.3.1925 Dornach (Switzerland)". In Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (ed.). Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism. Leiden / Boston: Brill. p. 1086. Steiner moved to Weimar in 1890 and stayed there until 1897. He complained bitterly about the bad salary and the boring philological work, but found the time to write his main philosophical works during his Weimar period. ... Steiner's high hopes that his philosophical work would gain him a professorship at one of the universities in the German-speaking world were never fulfilled. Especially his main philosophical work, the Philosophie der Freiheit, did not receive the attention and appreciation he had hoped for.
^ "Jacket".
^ "steiner-hoeren.de: MENUE". www.steiner-hoeren.de.
^ Meyer, T. H. (2014). D.N. Dunlop, A Man of Our Time: A Biography. Forest Row, UK: Temple Lodge Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 9781906999667.^{[unreliable source?]}
^ Chapter 9, "The Idea of Freedom".
^ An alternate translation reads, "Results of Introspective Observations According to the Method of Natural Science" (Rudolf Steiner, The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, trans. Rita Stebbing (N.Y.: Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1963), p. 3). The German original is, "Beobachtungs-Resultate nach naturwissenshcaftlicher Methode" (Steiner, 1894, title page).
^ Mind, NS vol 4 (1895) pp. 129-130; Monist Vol. 5 (1895), Philosophical Review, Vol. 4, No. 5 (Sep., 1895) pp. 573-574.
^ E.g. the less than favourable review in Philosophisches Jahrbuch Vol 8 (1895), pp. 423-428 [1]

[Cees-1] Leijenhorst, Cees (2006). "Steiner, Rudolf, * 25.2.1861 Kraljevec (Croatia), † 30.3.1925 Dornach (Switzerland)". In Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (ed.). Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism. Leiden / Boston: Brill. p. 1086. Steiner moved to Weimar in 1890 and stayed there until 1897. He complained bitterly about the bad salary and the boring philological work, but found the time to write his main philosophical works during his Weimar period. ... Steiner's high hopes that his philosophical work would gain him a professorship at one of the universities in the German-speaking world were never fulfilled. Especially his main philosophical work, the Philosophie der Freiheit, did not receive the attention and appreciation he had hoped for.

[2] "Jacket".

[3] "steiner-hoeren.de: MENUE". www.steiner-hoeren.de.

[4] Meyer, T. H. (2014). D.N. Dunlop, A Man of Our Time: A Biography. Forest Row, UK: Temple Lodge Publishing. p. 125. ISBN 9781906999667.^{[unreliable source?]}

[5] Chapter 9, "The Idea of Freedom".

[6] An alternate translation reads, "Results of Introspective Observations According to the Method of Natural Science" (Rudolf Steiner, The Philosophy of Spiritual Activity, trans. Rita Stebbing (N.Y.: Rudolf Steiner Publications, 1963), p. 3). The German original is, "Beobachtungs-Resultate nach naturwissenshcaftlicher Methode" (Steiner, 1894, title page).

[7] Mind, NS vol 4 (1895) pp. 129-130; Monist Vol. 5 (1895), Philosophical Review, Vol. 4, No. 5 (Sep., 1895) pp. 573-574.

[8] E.g. the less than favourable review in Philosophisches Jahrbuch Vol 8 (1895), pp. 423-428 [1]

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